Flashbacks
by 8annie81
Summary: Perry can't help but reminess about being a platypus. More and more, his guilt haunts him, trapping him as a human. His host family took him in, in void of a platypus, he lives so close, but they can never know. The day they get their pet back, he disappears, how can he manage? Knowing whatever he does he must lie to and hurt his loved ones?
1. Hey, can't stay

Outside his window the sky was still gray. It was morning yet, but the sun hadn't begun its journey across the sky. Perry ironed a teal blue dress shirt, mindful of the buttons and pockets. While his hands wandered across the fabric, his mind wandered back. Back to when his hands, his entire body, were that very shade of teal blue.

When he was much closer to the ground, when he didn't need shirts.

When, he was a platypus. But there isn't time to think about that now, now is there?

Sliding on the crisp, somewhat hot shirt, his deft hands trailed down the buttons sinching them together and closing the shirt. He pulled on a fairly new pair of jeans, a sturdy pair of shoes. Knowing little about them, all he really cared about was that they fit and didn't fall apart. Candace had given him her blessing on them, so he assumed they were good. They served his purpose. Running a comb through his hair, he opened the door to his room.

The Flynn-Fletcher house was quiet, so thinking better of it, he closed his door and slid the window open instead.

He longed to go upstairs, hug the boys and say goodbye. Tell them he loved them, thank them for har boring him, even when they didn't know that it was him. Cling to them, tell them everything. He'd even hug Candace, along with Linda and her newest husband, Lawrence. Doing his best to push the thought away, he jumped down from the guest room window, the guest room was all it was anymore, crouching low to the ground and rolling to both quiet the sound of him hitting and to ease the jarring.

Slowly he stood, dusting what little dirt off that had clung to him. Once he'd made his way to the fence, he didn't bother with the latch. Putting a hand on top of the gate, he was quickly over, landing again as quietly as he'd been taught.

Feeling like a thief, and a guilty one at that he looked up at the window where his boys slept. He couldn't do it.

Picking up a small stone, he clicked it against their window, then another, and another. Finally there was movement in the room, and two figures appeared before it. It slid open to a green haired boy, rubbing his eyes and yawning almost silently, besides his tired eyed companion with nearly red, spiked hair.

"I'll be gone for...a while today." Perry called up to them.

Phineas' disappointment showed, "You said you'd see our project today." He reminded, sleep cracking his voice.

Ashamed, Perry rubbed the back of his neck, "I want to. You know I do, I just...can't."

Ferb blinked at him, and then averted his eyes. It stung, badly, and Perry weakened further.

"When do you two think you'll start scheming?" He asked, and watched as the red haired boy lit up.

"We can start now!"

The boys had long given up asking where he went every day, as he was too evasive to give any kind of answer, and far too evasive to be followed. So anything they could gather from him, they deciphered religiously. Him asking questions about their day, was as loud of an, admission as they'd get from him. Knowing that, he wasn't surprised when Phineas suddenly turned the lock on the window as far as it would go and the window lowered itself to the ground in a nearly unrealistic way.

When the boys had found the time to do that, he didn't know. The boys climbed out the window, as he had, and it gave him an ache of guilt, knowing that he had planned on leaving.

"Anything you guys need from the uh-..." Perry looked away from their happy eyes. He couldn't withstand such brightness, he couldn't have that light shone on him. Why else would he leave at the darkest hour of the day? "Store?" He finished weakly.

Then a smile broke out on his face, as Ferb held out a looong shopping list.

"Alright." Perry said, their cheer growing on him. "I'll grab everything on this list for you guys."

Their faces immediately fell, tearing at him. "Hey, I'll be back before you know it." He took the list and began to walk away.

He felt both better, and worse, knowing that he would be coming back. Just as he was, a stranger who knew them.


	2. Not Scorched

A blinking, humming, practically droning florescent light flickered and crackled overhead. Perry's headache throbbed in tandem with his sore arms. He'd hurt a leg today,bits of his once nice pant leg torn off and burnt. The line for the checkout was short, but the other shoppers kept throwing him wary glances. The load of parts just seemed to make his muscles burn anew-ed, he'd be happy to just get home.

Shuffling forward with the rest of the line he saw a familiar face. Panic spread as the unshaven, tired visage of his former nemesis headed his way. Doofensmirtz...he'd been avoiding this confrontation, but the man looked so...different. Perry averted his eyes. Today, he told himself, he would make it home to see the boys invent something incredible.

"Hey!" The melodramatic scientist exclaimed. "Are those _scorch marks_?" A new enthusiasm placed itself on the mans dreary face. "I used to get those all the time back when I-"

The panic flashed again, he couldn't have the man exclaiming about their former battles. "They aren't." He clipped out, hoping to end the rambling before anything incriminating was said.

"Yes they are!" Shouted the other man. Not the least bit tamed by Perry's harsh reply.

Resholdering the weight of his items, Perry defensively replied, "No. They're not."

Tightening his hands on his cart and rattling it's contents, the skinny man half-shrieked, "They are! They are! Anyone could see that they are!"

Beeping his items quickly across the self check-out, the wearied man tried to leave quickly, but couldn't shake the taller man's insistent pace, with his larger stride Doofensmirtz easily kept up. "They're scorch marks, just say it. Something blew-up. Was it a laser? An inator? I used to build-".

"This is my car." Perry said quickly, in the hopes that the taller man would leave him be.

Raising his voice again, he incredulously denied Perry. "No it isn't!"

Perry glowered at the man, annoyed at his energy and argumentative nature. But Perry's eyes widened a little as Doofensmirtz jingled a pair of keys before unlocking the car door. He smiled mischeviously at Perry. "Told you it wasn't your car." The smile, as much in his voice as on his face.

Tiredly Perry smiled back, "Okay, it's not my car. So give me a ride.'' Yes, Perry could trigger a vehicle to take him home, but he'd have to conceal it some distance from the boys anyway, forcing to walk a few blocks with his heavy purchases. Perry's new mischievous smile disarmed the scientist.

"Fii_ii_ine." Heinz drawled, pretending to be more annoyed than he was. He did manage to accost Perry for the entire drive about his scorched pants.

"Hey, hey wait. This is the wrong way.' Perry told him, placing a hand on the passenger side doors handle. Had Doofensmirtz realized it was him? How could he have?

"Well duuuuhh, if you're getting a free ride you're at least helping me put my groceries away first." Perry sighed and slumped into his seat. He was going to be so late.

Finally pulling into the drive, Perry pulled at his collar. Nervous to see his boys disappointed again. "Thank you." He said to Heinz.

"Hey no problem, and don't be a stranger. I... don't exactly have a lot of friends."

Well. That hurt. With a withered sigh he opened the door quickly said, "Okay they might be scorch marks." And tried to scurry away, but Doof rolled down the window.

"I knew it!" He yelled gleefully.

Smirking a little Perry, opened the gate to the backyard. He steps slowed as he saw Phineas. Forlorn and toying with the grass. Ferb sat, back to the tree, rather expressionless, but Perry picked up a bit of hurt there too.

"Hey. I met someone today, he was lonely, and I wanted to help. I'm sorry I missed," He struggled for the word as he gestured to the empty yard, devoid of whatever wonders had been there today. "It."

"We didn't build anything." Ferb stated emptily.

"We waited for you." Phineas added sadly. "Again." Perry flinched, before setting the bags down and sitting next his boys. Ferb grabbed them and started looking through the parts, occasionally nodding in approval.

"I'm yours tomorrow. I just need...four hours." God that would be cutting it close. "Maybe we can even pay that man a visit, he'd be the better for the company."

Finally, that smile lighting up his face. "We," Phineas stated, "will hold you to that, right Ferb?"

Nodding the British boy held Perry's eye. He then pointed to the long list, his finger over an item.

"Hmm, did I forget something? Well first thing tomorrow we'll go get it, fair?"

The boys nodded, and Phineas seemed to notice the scorched clothing finally. His smile faded to a more tired and less genuine one. Perry shifted uncomfortably and no one said anything for a few moments.

"Tomorrow." He told them in an affirmative, promising voice.


	3. The beginning of a saga

**Okay... so no one asked, but I'm just going to put it out there that in my head Perry has an Australian accent. But he can sound and look however you want him too. I'm thinking of writing it in that he has either teal or black hair. May just leave him undescribed, as well.**

The steam hissed up beside his hands as he ironed another shirt for another day. He was standing over the ironing board in a white t-shirt and light blue boxers. He was surprised to see Candace gently pushing his door open. She meeped at his state of undress and closed the door.

He dressed and trekked upstairs to Candace's room where the embarrassed girl had gone to hide. "Um, hold on." She said when he knocked. "Okay." Swinging the door open, the anxious girl seemed to have released a deeply held breath. "The boys said you'd be here with them today?" He nodded. "So...I can go to the mall?"

Her timidness was still upsetting. She saw him as the stranger, the interloper, not the intimate relationship he felt they should have, but it couldn't be pressed. She found him aloof and unsociable. Which he often was. "Yes, Candace."

"Cool, cool. So I'm gonna go call Stacy." She pulled back into her room and closed the door.

Perry didn't have time to contemplate his failures with Candace. As soon as her door clicked shut, the boys door swung open.

Phineas's arms were full of parts, a sweatband contraption dangling a large blueprint in front of him. He bustled down the hallway with Ferb. His Britany-born half brother had a calculator practicality whirring with calculations, a thin, but long sheet printing it's way quickly down to the boys ankles.

The bond Phineas wanted from him was attainable on days like this. Under the inventing fervor and welding sparks was a friendship that begged to be fulfilled. When the agency called... Both boys would likely be crestfallen. Especially if he didn't come home.

Steeling himself, Perry met the boys in the middle of the hallway. *Montage background music*

Tugging the cord at the bottom of the blueprint, the whole thing retracted and folded into the headband."Hey Ferb, what do you want to do today?" After being handed a red ball point pen, he used it to tap thoughtfully at his chin. Seeming to have come up with an idea, his bright eyes lit up.

"Let's write an epic saga!" He swished the pen around, the ink audibly moving within it. "About a giant squid!"

If anyone found this dubious, not a word of dissent was spoken.

Perry smiled as the dream came together. Ferb scribbling as Phineas dictated. Little scribbles here and there of the squid battling pirates and sharks.

It wasn't until Ferb pulled out a measuring tape and held it against Perry's forearm that anything seemed amiss.

"Wait right here. " Phineas said ignoring the wary look he was given.

He could hear the boys rummaging around in their room, Phineas quipping out ideas for the saga and having a one-sided debate with his green haired brother. What did they need his measurements for?

Thick red and purple tendrils coiled around the corner grabbing at the doorway and reaching for Perry. A large slow moving creature dragged itself into the hallway. Perry fought the urge to run, thinking only of the two boys obscured from his view.

A massive tendril whipped dangerously past his head. He turned away and was prepared to take down the beast when he head a muffled, "Be careful Ferb."

He eyed the mass of tendrils and found one large eye staring back at him. He lowered his fists from their defensive position. He found himself smirking at the creation. It was quite the costume.

"You made a giant squid costume?" His eyebrows flicked up in approval imaging how quickly it must have been made, and yet how real and terrifying it looked.

A loud zip caused the creature to fall apart and his boys appeared, Ferb already folding up the great costume into something more manageable. "For advertising purposes," Phineas remarked happily. "How else will anyone hear about this amazing saga?"

Perry shrugged, still enjoying the tendrils coiled around the floor at Ferb feet.

"Its not perfect yet. Ferb and I can only work four of the arms on our own. Ah. Of course. Today he was going to be a giant squid. Battling pirates, entertaining the public of Danville.

He slipped his arm into a tentacle and found it fit perfectly. Wiggling it about he told them, I think I can help you with that.

The boys beamed.

"Our squid is going to need an advisory. " Phineas tapped his chin. "Who do you think-?"

Doofinsmirtz, Perry thought. "I have an idea."


	4. Soundproof sounding board

THe looming purple skyscraper in downtown Danville, cast a glare in their eyes. Perry had rented a generic minivan, knowing they'd need the room. An evil purple scene shimmered off the silver van. Perry lowered his sun guard to shield his eyes. He wondered if this was a good idea.

He wanted to spend time with his boys, and also check in on his former nemesis, but having these three quirky inventors in one place. Worst comes to worst, he would make the boys leave. They'd be disappointed, but they'd be safe. They didn't need to know Doofinsmirtz if the cost was too high.

He parked ahead of a dowdy green truck, eyeing it's empty meter. The limit was two hours, and he knew that wouldn't be enough time to write a script, and begin making a play out of it, but checking the meter could be his excuse. When the agency inevitably called.

There was also that part from yesterday. The one he missed, he could slip out to get it. Ticking off all the ways he could excuse himself from 'bathroom' to 'meter running. Emboldened by his reprotouire office excuses he stood and made for the building.

Leading the boys up to the door, he clicked the intercom button. Clearing his throat. "Heinz? We met yesterday and today there's a bit of a project. I thought you'd like to be involved."

"Oh! Heinz Doofinsmirtz!" Phineas exclaimed. "He's the mayors brother."

Perry jolted a little at the boys knowing Heinz. How well did they know him?

The intercom light went green and the front door clicked. "Come on up, I've buzzed you in. " The loud, excitable man hollered. "Wipe any particles off outside my room please."

What did that even mean?

When they reached the evil scientists level, they were greeted with arrows in tape on the floor. They pointed to a larger curtained box next to a door. A sigh on it read 'particle cleaner '. Perry stalled in front of it, but the boys trekked on ahead of him. "Wait! We don't know what that is!"

"It's a particle cleaner. Says so right here." Phineas said pointing at the lettering above the curtain. With no hesitation he marched right in.

Ferb looked up at Perry, who could barely contain his horror at Phineas entering a strange object at his nemesis's doorstep. He put a hand up, willing the British boy to stay put and stepped in through the curtain. But he soon felt Ferb bump into him from behind. Before he had time to scold him a strong suction pulled the three of them off their feet and up.

It was a trap. His boys were in a glass bulb. He sprung up, ready to face his enemy and save his boys. They looked around, not hearing him say their names.

"Here put this on quickly!" A muffled Doofinsmirtz told him from behind a rubbery suit. "I only have the one so your kids will have to stay in quarantine. Funny thing is quarantine used to be a platypus trap. So. Yeah. Glad I didn't throw that one away!"

Perry cut him off with a hand gesture. Not wanting the boys to hear any mention of platypus. He put on the strange rubber suit. Checking it for any odd devices, it appeared to just be fabric meant to keep contamination from happening. They boys had various things like it for sensitive experiments. "What are you doing? Doofinsmirtz?" He asked skeptically. Glancing at the boys, they still didn't seem to have heard him.

"I got inspired to start inventing again when I saw you buying all those in at or parts yesterday!"

His foot 'accidentally came down hard on Heinz' s. "That's not what that was." He said firmly.

Heinz yelped, but was unperturbed.

"You're an evil scientist! The explosion, buying parts! Who's your nemesis? Hey can you call the AWACA for me? They won't return my calls anymore! Say I need to move on, but Perry has been missing so long! I've been searching for a year now, I'll never give up-"

The boys didn't look at all aware of what was being said. The bulb was likely soundproof...

"It's me" He hadn't meant to say it. He hadn't even told the boys. The betrayal hit him instantly.

"What?"

But he couldn't stop. The floodgate had opened. "It's me. Perry the platypus."

The hug suprized him, but the relief was instant.

"So, you're probably wondering why I made you step through a particle cleaner to get into my apartment. " His monolouge voice unforgotten. Heinz fell into his diatribe and began to explain;

Heinz partial cleaner set up is to keep things sterile for his particle locator. Which he is using to try and find Perry. His theory is that, while particles move constantly they can be localized and leave trails. If he can identify Perry particle traces he can find the lost platypus. But it hasn't been working. Either Perry has been in his apartment a day ago, or the tracer finds old particles to be too significant and can't determine age.

"Well." The evil scientist concluded happily. " It works! Eureka! Eh...I guess I don't need it anymore."

Perry looked intently at the self destruct button and side eyed his former nemesis.

"No. Perry the platypus. No, no, no!" Heinz caught on.

The smirk crawled up with the excitement. He grabbed the lanky man by the collar and slammed his fist down on the self destruct button. He yanked Heinz along behind him like any angry lab-coated-sail.

They made it clear of the explosion and as the dust settled, Heinz coughed out a, "Curse you...Perry the platy-pus." And he sighed exasperatedly. "I really missed you. You little stinker."

"Listen." Perry said formally. "Those boys, they aren't involved. Humanity is harsh. With the O.W.A.C.A's help I got a job, but cover is still my job. Their parents are inattentive and they keep themselves occupied. They don't ask questions. It's a good place for me. It's a good place to learn how to be a human. But your life, their lives. You slip up and you risk it all. Don't say a word to them."

The scientist gave him a wide eye'd eye roll. "Yeah I get it. Good guy, fighting evil." He droned hinting that he didn't support Perry's allegiance to good.

"Let the boys go. We've got a lot to do today. "

"Um I'm not sure I know what that is."

Perry shrugged. "Play costumes."


End file.
